Chapter 340: Facing the Crisis

Ao Li's arm numbness from the poison felt like maggots in a foot bone, but she knew she could not show weakness now. She clenched her teeth, circulated Inheritance Power, and tried to suppress the poison's spread. Lín Jìn stood beside her, fully resisting the tide of spider monsters, his energy fluctuations forming a solid wall that temporarily blocked their assault.

"Ao Li, hold on! I'll deal with these monsters first, then tend to your wound!" Lín Jìn shouted, sweat beads the size of beans rolling down his forehead, but his gaze was unwavering.

Ao Li inhaled deeply, bore the pain and replied, "Don't worry about me, focus on the fight! I can do it!" As she spoke, she focused her mind, turning Inheritance Power into thin warm currents that flowed slowly along the arm's meridians, fiercely battling the poison.

Seeing Ao Li so resilient, Lín Jìn felt a complex mix of admiration and concern. He stopped being distracted, threw himself wholly into the fight. His hands flicked rapidly, energy gathering and compressing in his palms, then he thrust it out forcefully, a dazzling beam of energy shooting forth, instantly piercing several spider monsters. The monsters let out mournful shrieks, green blood splattering around.

Yet the monsters did not retreat; instead they lunged even more wildly. Lín Jìn furrowed his brows, realizing that plain energy attacks could not fully solve the problem. He quickly surveyed the surroundings and spotted some protruding rocks on both sides of the passage.

"Ao Li, cover me for a moment! I've got a plan!" Lín Jìn shouted.

Ao Li instantly understood, she bore the arm pain, brandished her long sword, unleashing a series of Sword Qi that formed a Sword Qi shield before her, temporarily blocking the frontal monsters. Lín Jìn seized the chance, rushed to one side of the passage, clenched a protruding rock with both hands, snapped it off with force, and, relying on his great strength, hurled the massive rock toward the monster horde.

The rock slammed into the monster mass like a cannonball, toppling a large swath of spider monsters. But this was only a temporary respite; more monsters surged from all directions. Lín Jìn showed no panic, he surveyed the passage again and found a crack in the ceiling.

"Ao Li, strike the crack in the ceiling!" Lín Jìn commanded loudly while holding off the monsters.

Ao Li did not hesitate; she infused Inheritance Power into her long sword, then leapt high, swinging forcefully at the crack. A powerful Sword Qi shot out, striking the crack precisely. With a deafening boom, the ceiling began to collapse, massive stones raining down, burying the spider monsters.

Dust billowed in the passage for a moment, and Ao Li and Lín Jìn were choked into coughing. When the dust settled, the area finally quieted, and the spider monsters had been successfully repelled.

Lín Jìn then hurried to Ao Li's side to examine her injuries. Ao Li's arm had turned black, the poison had nearly spread over the entire arm, and her complexion was extremely pale.

"Ao Li, hold on! I'll detoxify you right now!" Lín Jìn, anxious, quickly fished a small vial from his chest, containing a faintly glowing liquid. It was a precious antidote he had stumbled upon during earlier exploration.

Lín Jìn carefully poured the remedy onto Ao Li's arm; upon touching the skin, it instantly turned into fine light threads that seeped in. Ao Li felt a cool sensation, the numbness and pain gradually eased, and the blackness on her arm began to fade slowly.

"Thank you, Lín Jìn," Ao Li said weakly.

"Don't speak, just rest well." Lín Jìn looked at Ao Li with concern, helped her sit against the wall.

After a period of rest, Ao Li's stamina gradually recovered and the injury on her arm improved markedly. The two continued moving forward along the passage, their vigilance unchanged. They knew this mysterious force would not let them go easily; more dangers surely awaited ahead.

Meanwhile, far away, Lín Jìn's family sat around a communications device, anxiously watching Lín Jìn and Ao Li's movements. Lín Jìn's father furrowed his brows, his eyes full of concern: "I have no idea how Lín Jìn and Ao Li are doing now; this mysterious continent is so dangerous, it really worries me."

Lín Jìn's Mother silently wept, clasping her hands in prayer: "Lord above, please protect them and keep them safe."

Lín Jìn's siblings also wore anxious faces, all expressing hope that they could return soon. Though far apart, the family's concern and worry for Lín Jìn were as tangible as a solid substance.

On this mysterious continent, Ao Li and Lín Jìn continued their exploration. They moved forward along the passage, which gradually widened, and ahead appeared a massive stone door. The stone door was covered with intricate runes and patterns, similar to the style seen earlier in the ruins, but more primitive and mysterious.

"I wonder what secrets lie behind this door," Ao Li said, a hint of caution and anticipation in her eyes.

Lín Jìn examined the runes on the stone door carefully, trying to find a way to open it. He discovered the runes seemed to form an ancient script; after some contemplation and deciphering, he finally uncovered the key clue.

"The arrangement of these runes appears linked to the positions of the stars; we need to trigger the runes in a specific order to open this door," Lín Jìn said.

Ao Li and Lín Jìn began, following the order Lín Jìn deciphered, to touch the runes on the stone door cautiously. As the runes were triggered one by one, the stone door shimmered with strange light and slowly opened. Behind the door lay a vast circular hall; at its center floated a crystal sphere emitting a soft blue glow, and the surrounding walls were embedded with countless luminous gems, illuminating the hall as bright as daylight.

However, the moment they stepped into the hall, a powerful suction emanated from the crystal sphere, trying to pull them in. Ao Li and Lín Jìn quickly steadied themselves, their feet digging firmly into the ground.

"The crystal sphere's pull is strong; we need to find a way to break free!" Ao Li shouted.

The two fought the suction while scanning the surroundings, trying to find a solution. At that moment, Lín Jìn noticed the gems on the wall seemed linked to the crystal sphere; when the pull intensified, the gems' glow grew brighter.

"Ao Li, these gems might be the key! Let's try destroying them to see if we can weaken the pull!" Lín Jìn shouted.

Ao Li nodded in understanding, and the two struck simultaneously; Ao Li swung her long sword, releasing Sword Qi to attack the wall gems, while Lín Jìn assisted with an energy beam. Under their assault, the gems shattered one by one, and the crystal sphere's pull gradually waned.

Just as the pull was about to vanish, a group of cloaked mysterious figures suddenly appeared in a corner of the hall. These figures wielded staffs, the tips of which flickered with eerie light.

"Outsiders, you have no right to be here; the secrets of this place are not for you to pry," the leading mysterious figure said coldly.

Ao Li and Lín Jìn locked eyes, their gazes filled with resolve. They both knew a fiercer battle was about to begin.